Ashar Zaidi, a Karachi-born allrounder, signed a two-year contract with Sussex ahead of the 2014 season. Zaidi appeared in two Championship matches for the county in 2013, having played in the Lancashire League since leaving Pakistan. He has a British passport and provided Sussex with a badly-needed spin option after the release of Monty Panesar.

Zaidi wrote to several counties asking for a trial, having impressed during three seasons with Accrington. He scored an unbeaten 192 and took six wickets after being invited to play for the Sussex 2nd XI and then added 62 runs in two innings to go with six wickets during Division One games against Yorkshire and Durham.

He became one of the first cricketers to fall foul of social networking in 2014 when Sussex were obliged to issue a suspended one-match ban in response to his angry tweet immediately after being given out caught behind by Nigel Llong in a Championship match against Somerset at Hove.